It's been a bit since I've reviewed a Universal Monsters item, so I'm glad I recently found the newest figure from NECA's Universal Monsters/ Classic Monsters line: Dr. Jack Griffin in his suave pajamas and robe look from when he visits his research partner, Kemp. 1933
The Invisible Man is my second favorite film from the classic Universal horror films and I'm always excited to get another take on the Invisible Man. Despite it not being how he first appears in the film, the pajamas and robe look does seem to be the more iconic of the Invisible Man's robes, doesn't it? I'm really glad that NECA is still putting out Universal Monsters figures, though I'd still love them to go deeper into the Universal catalog. For now, though, let's enjoy this incredible figure of Dr. Jack Griffin. More after the break...
The Facts:
Height: 6 7/8ths inches
Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, swivel/ hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, barbell jointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.
Accessories: 7 interchangeable hands, 5 portraits, stack of books, 2 collars, 2 bandages, and tongs.
Non-Scalper Price: $35-$38 dollars
The Positives:
* Look! You can't see his head! OK, so with five removable portraits you can still get 6 different heads, technically, as the collar is high enough to hide the neck peg, allowing your Dr. Griffin to show off his invisible visage! The robe looks great and there's a lot of detail in his pajamas. What color is the robe, anyhow? Usually it's portrayed as maroon or burgundy,
though some have speculated that the original prop was black and gold. NECA went with a very dark burgundy (almost brown), which seems to split the difference. It's a great look and different in color than anything from other Universal Monsters you probably have on your shelf.
* This figure features swappable collars, kind of like the
Vincent Price figure. You can have the finely striped pajamas peeking out (see the picture above) or the stylish cravat. What's also kind of neat, besides just being able to change things up a bit, is that the "collars" do move a bit with the figure's neck, adding an interesting, though subtle, detail to the figures.
* NECA included five portraits in here, which is a pretty respectable amount. Some of them have only subtle differences but they're still all pretty impressive. First up is the most classic of classic portraits for Griffin: He's all wrapped up in bandages, only subtly showing off his facial features, and he's wearing the stylish winged sunglasses with the side lenses. The details on the bandages are excellent and they look like you could just reach out and unwrap them.
* The second portrait is very similar to the first, only look at the mouth to recognize that Griffin seems to be yelling, or at least opening his mouth quite wide. Heck, maybe's he's laughing maniacally since the monocaine is really working on his brain at this point. It's amazing that NECA managed to change the expression on the face of someone wearing bandages. The bandages also look a bit looser, like he had to put them on a bit more quickly here.
* The third portrait is the wrapped portrait without any glasses. You can barely see the eye slits (they're just painted; this head isn't hollow) and there are some sculpted and painted pins on the sides of the bandages, too.
Also, I should point out that four of the five included heads do have their own neck piece as well, so you swap the entire head and neck, not just the head.
* The fourth portrait is another head without the glasses, though this one looks like Griffin is talking or laughing, similar to the second portrait above.
* The fifth and final portrait is a bit different from the rest as it is hollow and doesn't have a separate neck piece. It attaches directly to the barbell joint at the top of the torso. This one shows off Griffin in the middle of removing his bandages, giving us a full glimpse of (what's not) underneath. It's a neat effect and you can blend it together with the extra wrappings included in the set.
* Here's a close-up of the Invisible Man's excellent robes. NECA did a great job on the paintwork for the checkered hem and even some very fancy paintwork for the pattern of the pajamas. Swanky! Throw that Max Schreck/ Christopher Walken head from the upcoming DC Multiverse figure and you could have the Continental! "Wowie- wow wow wow!"
* Even the legs of his pajama pants have paint detail all the way up. Impressive stuff!
* Seven swappable hands come with Griffin, allowing him to embark on his reign of terror. He's got fists for punching, a looser right handed grip, a solid right hand grip, a pointing right hand, and a pair of hands for throttling his victims. They all swap easily and give you a nice range of options for posing the figure.
* Two pieces of bandage are also included. One is a clump of bandages while the second is a strand that can wrap around Griffin's fingers, like he's actively unrolling the wraps around his head.
* Griffin wants his books back and so he comes with a set of them. This is a single piece, though there are multiple paint applications on the books to keep them looking like separate pieces. There's printing on the front of
Advanced Chemistry & Physics, along with the name of the author: Professor Darnell.
* There are even titles on the spines of the books, too. Just a neat little extra detail that once again shows how NECA doesn't skimp.
* Last up is a pair of tongs that look like they're used for lab work. They're a nice silver color and rather fancy looking.
* So, let's talk about articulation. Overall, this version of Griffin largely has the same articulation model as the previous Invisible Man, so the joints available pose quite well. NECA really has been building some solid, sturdy figure s as of late and this guy is excellent in that regard. For standing poses, his arms and neck are very expressive.
The Negatives:
* The robe is a very solid plastic below the waist and it blocks most lower body movement. I wonder how this would have turned out if he had a soft goods robe, instead?
This is an incredible figure of the Invisible Man and I'm really at a toss up as to whether I prefer this one or the original release in his suit, hat, and with the fake nose. NECA knocked this guy out of the part and, with five portraits, you're getting a lot of options here. This guy is incredible and just lots of fun. NECA figures tend to vary in price among retailers so shop around and you could easily find him a little under $35. He's an Epic figure and it's tough to see how he could be improved upon. I'm not a huge fan of the black and white variants, but I suppose we may see a version of Griffin in that color scheme one day.
Looking for more of the Invisible Man? I've also reviewed NECA's
The Invisible Man (Glow in the Dark), the Funko ReAction
Invisible Man, the Monster in My Pocket
Invisible Man, and the Jada Toys
Invisible Man.
For more Classic Monsters/ Universal Monsters from NECA check out the following:
Classic Monsters
Hammer House of Horror
Universal Monsters
If he can be articulated into his classic 'Mussolini' pose (the clenched fist by his jaw) I'm definitely in, an absolutely brilliant sculpt. As madmen from the pre-code films go, he's up there at the very top with Peter Lorre in Mad Love. Great review as always
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